A Letter of Healing
My Viet Vet Daddy, here it is: The heart-wrenching historic event at Kent State University that had America freeze in time, May 4, 1970.
It is the AP's John Filo's photo of Mary Ann Vecchio, a 14-year-old girl who happened to be on the Kent State University campus when the Ohio National Guard accidentally shot a student war-protester to death. An anti-war sentiment was in gush while you were in the midst of the treacherous jungles of Vietnam fighting against Communism. It was a good fight you fought in order to bring down the Berlin Wall...
You have now come back to Kent State to face the memory of that darkest day with the book of poems of healing. It's called "Dear Daddy."
Your loving adopted son Linh
Poet's Note: My heartfelt thanks to Kent State's President Carol A. Cartwright whose letter of 17 April 1997 meant a lot of healing to me.
© Copyright by Linh Duy Vo. All rights reserved.